Evidence from an archaeological excavation at Boudelo Abbey, once part of the medieval county of Flanders, Belgium, shows that the monks who lived there went to great lengths to cultivate the area's wetlands, building structures on artificially raised soil and providing new lands for occupation.

In an Amsterdam mall,  a costumed flash mob chases a thief, rappels down ropes, and surprises modern shoppers to recreate "The Night Watch", and advertise the reopening of the Rijksmuseum. (video)

In the second half of the 15th century, the noble families of Burgundy were privileged to enjoy illuminated books with black tinted pages, scribed with gold and silver script. Examples of these rare and magnificent manuscripts may be viewed on artist Daniel Mitsui's blog, The Lion & the Cardinal.

In a recent interview, NPR's Robert Siegel investigates the magic of stilt-walking, including the 600-year-old tradition of stilt-jousting in the city of Namur, Belgium. The story is available in print and audio.

M. Moleiro in Barcelona, Spain is offering a facsimile edition of the Isabella Breviary, a 15th century illuminated manuscript given to Isabella the Catholic to commemorate the double marriage of her children, Infante John of Asturias and Infanta Joanna. (photos, video)

A number of events in the modern world mark the anniversary of the invasion and sacking of Canterbury, England by Viking raiders in September 1011.

Duran Textiles is back again with an incredible silk Burgundian gown and headdress featured in their April 2011 newsletter. (photos)

The Columbia Museum of Art in Columbia, South Carolina will host Imperial Splendor: Renaissance Tapestries from Vienna May 21, 2010 - September 19, 2010. The tapestries are from the collection of the Kunsthistorisches of Vienna.

The painting entitled "Old Woman," but better known as the "Ugly Duchess," is one of the most popular in London's National Gallery. It depicts the face of a grotesquely-featured woman, and was painted by Flemish artist Quinten Massys in 1513. Now, experts believe that they have identified the illness suffered by this woman as a rare form of Paget's disease, which deforms the bones. (photo)

Life was tough for women in the 13th century, especially those who had lost their husbands and protectors to the Crusades. Experts believe this was the origin of the "beguines — a Roman Catholic laic order that began in the 13th century and branched across northwest Europe."

The Portinari Altarpiece, a three-part Flemish religious painting created by Hugo van der Goes in the late 15th century, was sent as a gift to the hospital of Santa Maria Nuova. Martin Gayford looks at the importance of the painting for The Spectator (photo)

Ivonne Janssens and Daniel Grandjean are modern people who live parttime in a medieval world. The Belgian husband and wife have convinced the city fathers of Aarschot to allow them to inhabit the 700-year-old Sint-Rochus tower as a 14th century duchess and her mercenary husband.

Prayers and Portraits: Unfolding the Netherlandish Diptych will be on display at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, through February 4.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has provided an online source for viewing their famous Unicorn Tapestries. The website invites visitors to zoom in for close up details of the designs.

One of only three full sets of surviving Flemish or French tapestries has been taken down from display at the Victoria and Albert Museum for cleaning and restoration.

Insurgent Flemish peasants shocked the chivalry of Europe by defeating the occupying French cavalry at Courtrai (modern Kortrijk) on July 11, 1302.

On June 28, 1577, the great baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens was born in Westphalia.

On June 17, 900, Fulk, the Archbishop of Reims, was assassinated by the Count of Flanders, who was excommunicated as a result.

"Flemish Fantasia: Invention and Imagination in Sixteenth Century Flemish Engravings" is on display at The Minneapolis Institute of Arts through February 27, 2005.

A Renaissance prayer book, valued at

The Guardian: "Illuminating the Renaissance: The Triumph of Flemish Manuscript Painting in Europe", is at the Royal Academy of Arts from November 29, 2003 until February 22, 2004.